UNESCO renews accreditation for the Percé Geoparc
Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist
PERCÉ – The Percé Geoparc has succeeded in getting its UNESCO accreditation renewed. During the 9th Session of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council, held on September 8 and 9 in Non Nuoc Cao Bang, Vietnam, it was recommended that the Percé Geoparc receive a green flag, a symbol of excellence in the sustainable management of its territory.
In 2022, UNESCO granted a two year renewal extension to the Percé Geoparc following the discovery of several issues that have since been addressed.
“We’ve worked tirelessly since December 2023 on this, up to the visit of the two evaluators from France and Ireland last July,” says Geoparc president Daniel Leboeuf. The recommendations will be submitted to the UNESCO Executive Board for final approval in March 2025.
“We have passed the evaluation phase. Unless we have a fire or a drastic event, we can be confident of having this title for the next four years,” he emphasizes.
In 2022, the Geoparks Council had issued a yellow rating for the Percé Geoparc. This yellow rating, which acts as a warning, indicated that improvements were necessary.
Signage to guide people to the geoparc, signs at the entrances to Percé, a redesign of the geoparc’s map with trails and geosites needed clarification. A display to showcase Canadian and international geoparks was also needed.
“We had to demonstrate that we have a very good collaboration with other stakeholders in the community: the national park, tourism providers, and Tourisme Gaspésie. We had them meet with many stakeholders between Barachois and Anse-à-Beaufils and they saw that the geoparc was a real cooperative. It’s a relief everyone’s efforts didn’t fall through,” says Mr. Leboeuf.
The financial problems over the last few years represented an additional challenge, but 2024 numbers show that is now behind them.
“The figures are available up until the end of August, and they show that we are on the right track. So far, it has been a very nice season with the sun. The recovery efforts started last year and this nice season will give us a good cushion,” he says.
The next four years will allow for further refinement of the site. “So far in our immediate plans, we have to make improvements to our parking lots, develop a food service at the glass platform that visitors have asked us for and we have the permit from MAPAQ (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) to do so. We are exploring parts of the geoparc that are not yet exploited to open other geosites. If we can add one or two more before the four years is up, that would be much appreciated,” says the president. The zipline has been set aside due to its low profitability.
UNESCO Global Geoparks are geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed according to a global concept of protection, education and sustainable development while involving communities.
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